Match Preview: Indy Eleven vs. Ottawa Fury FC

A pair of NASL expansion clubs looking to get back on the winning track as Indy Eleven host Ottawa Fury FC at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Indy is searching for its first league victory at home, while Ottawa is aiming to end its seven-game winless streak. Indy, who has not won in its last four game, is coming off 5-1 road loss at the hands of league-leader Minnesota United FC last week, while Fury held visiting San Antonio Scorpions to a 1-1 draw. The last and only meeting between the two teams came this past spring when two goals by midfielder Tony Donatelli and one each from defender Omar Jarun and forward Oliver gave the Fury a 4-2 victory at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on May 17.

“The only thing we want to take away from the Minnesota loss is how we recover from it, how quickly everyone, players and coaches, can put it behind us and prepare positively for Ottawa. I think our guys will look forward to getting back in front of the home fans and use that energy to come firing out of the gates and give Ottawa some payback for grabbing three points here back in May.” – Indy Eleven coach Juergen Sommer

“This trip will be huge for our club. We know it means a lot for both teams and we are preparing well to succeed. It will be a game that will require a lot of concentration from our part. We hope we are going to continue growing as a team and get the result we want.” – Fury FC coach Marc Dos Santos

Referee: Chris Penso

Asst 1: Brandon Artis

Asst 2: Brandon Rinkenberger

4th: Ali Banane

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Indy Eleven 1 Ottawa Fury FC 2

PublishedAug 24 2014, 02:42 AM

By
Neal Malone

After a rain delay that lasted more than two hours, Ottawa Fury FC earned its first victory of the 2014 NASL Fall Season after topping the host Indy Eleven 2-1 at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium on Saturday evening.

After a rain delay that lasted more than two hours, Ottawa Fury FC earned its first victory of the 2014 NASL Fall Season after topping the host Indy Eleven 2-1 at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium on Saturday evening.

Ottawa midfielder Sinisa Upiparipovic providing the decisive blow in the 86thminute of Fury FC’s 2-1 victory at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. Ottawa would go up in the 70th minute from the penalty spot through forward Tom Heinemann, but the Eleven wouldn’t go quietly, with substitute midfielder Don Smart’s 84th minute strike setting the stage for the wild finish in the Circle City.

"It's an important win," said Fury FC coach, Marc Dos Santos "We always showed character. We missed a pk but we reacted, we scored and Indy tied and we reacted right away. This is a win of character, perseverance and personality."

With the game starting at 9:52 p.m. local time, both teams clearly had their energy bottled up as the game started at a break-neck pace, with Indy Eleven forward Jermaine Johnson setting the tone with a blast from distance that missed just wide 90 seconds in.

Fury FC had a golden chance to go ahead early after Indy Eleven midfielder Sergio Pena was deemed to have brought down Ottawa’s Sinisa Upiparipovic in the corner of the area in the 8th minute. However, Indy Eleven ‘keeper Kristian Nicht dove well to his left to stop Nicki Patterson’s penalty kick to keep things scoreless. The Eleven thought it had a case for a penalty on the other end in the 15th minute, but forward Mike Ambersley’s pleas went unanswered from the man in the middle after claiming he was dragged down while chasing a lengthy through ball.

Both teams’ nervous energy would settle down after the frantic opening quarter-hour, with both squads still pressing numbers forward in waves but nothing but half-chances coming as a result as the forays. Ottawa received a blow late in the half when defender Drew Beckie went down with an apparent non-contact injury to the lower portion of his right leg.

Both teams would see challenges from distance nearly pay off early in the second half, but Carl Haworth’s 22-yard free kick would skim the top of the bar, while another Johnson blast from 25 yards was expertly punched away by Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser.

Indy Eleven midfielder Kleberson would start to put his stamp on the game around the hour mark with two efforts, one from inside the area that flashed just wide of the right post and an audacious volley from 30 yards that looped just over the upper right corner.

Ottawa would get a second chance from the spot in the 70th minute after forward Tom Heinemann was bowled over inside the area on a challenge by Indy’s Fejiro Okiomah. Heinemann himself would take the kick, sending Nicht the wrong way and finishing inside the right post to give the Canadian side the 1-0 advantage.

Things would tense up late, beginning in the 84th minute when Don Smart got on the end of a blocked shot in the right side of the area and thundered home a shot past Peiser to even things up at 1-1. But Ottawa would answer right back, as a series of passes inside the area ended with substitute Tony Donatelli squaring a simple ball into the path of Sinisa Upiparipovic, who slotted home to allow the visitors to retake the lead at 2-1, which is how the proceedings would end.